Process of coating.



F. E. GOLDSMITH.

PROCESS OF COATING.

APPIICATXON FILED APR.25.1905.

, 1,162,349. 7 Patented NOV. 30, 191:3.

3 SHEETS-{SHEET I.

II-L Witnesses: Inventor 19m o UU.- bi/ $0640? 0&1 lngzzn Attorney F. E. GOLDSMITH.

PROCESS OF COATING.

APPLICATION men APR.25.1905.

Patented NOV. 30, I 191-").

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Inventor M w. 0%

Attorney Witnesses F. E. GOLDSMITH.

PROCESS OF COATING.

APPLICATION FILED APR.25.1905

1 1 62.349. Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

3 SHEETS*SHEET 3.

W4 Witnesses: Inventor lwiub fim I Attorney UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK ERNST GOLDSMITH, 0F MIDDLETOWN, OHIO, AS SIGNOR TO THE CERAMIC MACHINERY COMPANY, OF HAMILTON, OHIO.

PROCESS OF COATING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 25, 1905. Serial N 0. 257,370.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK E. GOLD- sm'rn, citizen of the United States, and a resident of Middletown, in the county of Butler and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Coating, of which the following is a complete specification.

My invention relates to the application of a fluid or plastic coating to the surfaces of objects, such as tile and the like.

The inyention consists in the herein described method of applying such fluid or plastic, the details of which will be first fully described, and the characteristic features thereof will be formulated in the claims which follow.

For purposes of definiteness the surface which receives the fluid coating is called the carrier. That part of the carrier which transfers the coating to the object to becoated is the impression zone. The fluid or plastic composition to be applied is the coating. The material, object, tile or the like, to be coated is denominated the object. The means for bringing the object and carrier together is the incoming conveyer while the means for separating them is called the outgoing conveyor. By supporting abutment is meant the support for the carrier in the neighborhood of the impression zone.

The coating in the fluid state is supplied to an absorptive, pervious carrier which is saturated therewith. The coating is taken from the carrier by contact of the object therewith. The supply of coating may be aided by some degree of compression causing a flow of coating to the impression zone. This compression may be governed by the object as it receives its coat. The supply of coating may be well controlled by means tending to bring the carrier toward a supporting abutment in advance of the impression zone for the purpose of securing an even and adequate coating upon the surface of the carrier. Means are also employed to withdraw the body of the coating from the surface of the carrier as the object is being, or about to be, separated from the carrier, for the purpose of preventing any undue deposit of coating upon the object at any point, where evenly coated objects of a. specified coating are desired.

A characteristic feature of the process may be illustrated by the diagrammatic Figure 1, illustrating in sectional elevation the carrier 1, the impression zone 2, the object to be coated 3, the incoming conveyor i, the outgoing conveyer 5, the supporting abutment 6, the guiding, feeding, or compression means 7, and the controlling means 8. To the above elements may be added a source of supply 9, for the fluid coating, moving means 10 for agitating the same, transmitting means 11, as a rotary roll, for carrying the coating to the carrier, a dam 12 for forming a pool of coating in proximity to the carrier, adjusting means 13 for varying the controlling means 8, and adjusting means 11 for varying the compression means 7. The carrier is preferably characterized by a sufficient rigidity to enable it to bear uniformly along the length of the supporting abutment 6.

To enable one to easily perceive the broader view of the present invention. it is desirable to clearly understand at least one specific manner of carrying out the process, keeping in mind however that this specific description is not commensurate with the generic method, being but a single one of many manifestations thereof.

In a tank 9 is placed a quantity of fluid coating 15. A suitably journaled rotary drum 11 is adapted to dip into the coating and carry it on its periphery to the carrier 1. The carrier is adapted to rotate in close proximity to the drum 11, but preferably out of contact therewith. A rotary dam is located upon the drum to the rear of the carrier contact to dam up a pool of coating in contact with the carrier. The rotary carrier 1 is a hollow shell or sleeve of absorptive elastic pervious material, which may be positively driven, or which may partake of the motion of the rotary supporting abutment 6 mounted in suitable bearings. The carrier 1 may be moved or adjusted laterally by bringing one or more rolls 8 to bear thereon, so that a portion of the carrier in advance of the impression zone 2 may be brought against the rotary abutment with sufficient compression to cause a flow of coating to the surface of the carrier. After the coated object 3 leaves the impression zone 2 the surface flow of coating on the carrier 1 sinks into the body thereof, due to its release from or passage beyond the bearing 8, or to the tendency to create a vacuum between the carrier and the supporting abutment 6 as they separate.

The incoming conveyer is an endless belt 4 carried upon rolls. The outgoing conveyer 5 is similar in construction to conveyer l, but the whole conveyer 5 is adjustable longitudinally whereby its receiving end may be set at varied distances from the carrier 1. This adjustability permits the 'ob ject coated (depending upon its length) to strike such an angle with respect to the carrier that no excess or ridge of coating is left upon the rear of the object as it leaves the carrier, a condition likely to result unless special provision is' made to prevent the same.

An elastic guidingor feeding roll 7 is adjustable vertically for different sized ob jects 3, and may, if desired, effect some degree of compression, as they pass through the impression zone.

Fig. 1 is a cross-section and diagrammatic view of a machine embodying the improved process. Figs 2 and 3 are similar views of modified forms of the coating means. Fig. 4 is a side view partly broken away of a form of the coating carrier, and Fig. 5 is a similar view of another form thereof with the carrier support removed. Fig. 6 is a cross-section of another form of carrier.

An agitator 10 is provided in the tank of coating, below the drum, of any desired construction. It is mounted .at 16 on a vibrating frame 17 and may constantly agitate the coating 15 between the underside of the transmitting means 11 and bottom of the supply 9.

Yielding means between the positive drive and the agitator. such as a drive cam 18 and spring-supported roll contacts 19 prevent any tendency of the connections breaking if the coating mass at the bottom of the tank should dry or solidify. In the latter case the agitator loosens up the mat rial and itself gradually.

20 is a feed roll assisting in carrying the coated objects away on the conv yer 5.

It should be understood that the process may be carried out by other specific mechanism than that shown and just described. The incoming and outgoing conveyers 4 and 5 may be of any known form. The abutment 6 may be stationary and of various shapes Instead of the rollers 8 bearing on the exterior surface of the shell 1, the shell or carrier may be tilted by means of rollers bearing on the interior surface of the carrier, or other means may be employed to shift the carrier to bring its point of contact with the supporting abutment into a position in advance of the impression cylinder. The dam may be a stationary pocket instead of rotary. The coating may be supplied to the carrier by means other than a drum. It may be pumped through a pipe and supplied to the carrier through suitable orifices, or an endless belt may take the place of the drum. Instead of the outgoing conveyer being adjustable to and from the carrier, it may be inclined to the path of travel of the objects coated, and pass over a roll 21. Or the roll 7, hung in bearings oscillating about the impression zone, ma

swing to the position shown in dotted lines and carry the coated object 3 into substan tially the position shown. \Vhere the out going conveyer is adjustable to and from the coating carrier the loose character of the coating surface is not essential, nor where the conveyer is inclined. In fact several independent means of effecting the control of the uniform application of the coating to the object as the latter leaves the carrier are contemplated; as, for example, (1) adjusting the foraminous surface upon the support; (2) inclining the outgoing conveyer to the line of travel of the object coated; (3) adjusting the outgoing conveyer bodily to and from the carrier to vary the distance between them; and (4) oscillating the compression roll above the surface of the coating carrier.

22 are means for adjusting conveyer 5. Instead of the feed-drum the source of coating supply may be a pipe leading the coating solution to and upon the carrier, or under the carrier, and against it preferably in the neighborhood of the impression zone, so that the coating will be carried forward thereto. A feature of this inner or under supply to the carrier serves to effect both the screening and the supply of the coating to the carrier. By this latter plan ill-digested coating which ordinarily would be carried up on the outside method of supply and deposited upon the surface of the object coated, is prevented entirely by this inner method of screening supply.

Other coating-supply means are shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In Fig. 2 the coating is pumped through a tube 23 having lips'24, between which the coating is caused to flow (by a pump, fountain, or the like) to the carrier and carrier support. In Fig. 3 the carrier or carrier-support itself is made of conductor of the coating. The coating flows out through the perforated shell 25 to the carrier, which may be composed of elastic cellular material 26 thereon, and an outer foraminous sleeve 27. But the particular construction of the carrier may be varied within wide limits. In an exterior supply system the carrier may be imperforate and rigid, pervious or elastic. In an interior supply system the carrier is preferably perforate, and rigid or elastic.

In any of the forms in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the carrier may assume the form of a sleeve 1, or a plurality of sleeves, (1 and28 Fig.

.3) or belt,i (L29 Figsi'Q and 3) f sleeve dx nd 29; Figs. 2 nd-3,)

In the Shell Sleeve f Im of a carrier, the

inner surface may be perforated metal 30 (Fig. 4)'or';wovenmetal 31 (Fig. 5.) The surrounding layer may be elastic fiber 32 or elastic composition 33, such-asrubber. -Good results are secured bycross-ribbi-ng the fabric 33;.those in the form 33" shown -(inclined) 'giving better results than where-the ribs areaxially anddiametrically disposed, Excellent results are also obtained by making a composition fabric 33'(Fig. 6) with a series of cells or pockets 34 freely. open on the inner side 36 and'having-a-series of relatively smaller perforations'35. As this style of carrier,-Iwhether of the belt or sleeve form port, a (graduated supplyfof coating is pumped out ofit, by regulated compression,

is brought contact withthe carrier-supsufficient toevenly coat the object; In the sleeve form I may employ flanged collars 37 on"either end of the sleeve. against "which may bear the rolls 8., The flangesjprevent the lateral spread ofthe coating and" the collars serve to transmit, the rolling"a djustment of the sleeve. Other means of effect ing the adjustment of the carrier with respect toitssupport may be employed. One

or more rolls for example may be arrangedj to bear on the inner-periphery of the sleeve 1, or the axis of the sleeve may be made to' shift in an -Way.1" In fact many known means may e'employe'd forperforming-all these functions, all of which. are contemplatedin theimproved process. The apparatus may be fed over theobjects instead of the objects being fed to fthe apparatus. The coating carrier 7 its supp rt. he agitator,

drum, convey ere, 620., may all be driven. from onesource of power by sultablelmown means 1 The coating carrier ,1, inthe'p'articular form selected for illustration, shows an m nor perforated shell, a'c'ellular elastic cov' ering over the shell,'and a perviou s'or foraminousexterionlayer preferably of metal. It is a very 'difiicult matter [to coat some able in its supports. I r 4 I The process consists, as Will be understood by making the tube 23 oscillatingly. adjustfrom the foregoing description, in maintaining a main supply of glaze materialor coating, this being the supply contained in the main tub or reservoir; in circulating the glaze from this main supply to a small mass,

immediate application to the tiles, with its upper part open for contact by the, lower surfaces of the tiles, thissmallmass being,

in this embodiment, the coating carried in the pervious coating roll at, or near, the top thereof; and inpassing the tiles with. their lower surfaces only in shallow contact with said-small mass of coating material. The process further consists, 1I1 some cases, in

withdrawing part of the glaze composition to prevent-excess deposit thereof on the rear edges of the tiles. The process also the main quantity of-glaze"material tothe small mass,-a quantityof glaze in excess to whichis maintained in proper conditionfor comprises, in some cases, the supplying from the amount required for use, and returning this excess from the small mass to saidmain quantity of coating material. I claim as my invention a 1. Theprocess of coating tiles or similar objects, (":onsistingv inJmaintaining a small 2 -mass, ofglaze composition with its upper part open for application to thelower surfaces of tiles, supplying" glaze composition to the mass froma mainsupply, andjpassmg tiles with their lower surfaces only in shal-' low contact with said mass. f

, 2.' The process of coating tiles or similar objects, consisting in maintaining a small massfiof glaze composition withits upper" part'open for application "to the lower surfaces of tiles, supplying glaze composition 'to themass from a main supply,' pass1ng.

tiles Withtheir lower surfaces only in shaldeposit thereof on the rear edges of the tiles. 3. The process ofcoating'tiles or similar objects, consisting in continuously stirring a 'main quantity of glaze composition, circulating glaze from saidmain quantity to a small mass ofvvglaze com osition having its upper part open for application to'thelower low contact with said mass,j'and withdrawing glaze composition to prevent an excess surfaces of tiles, returning excess glaze fromv said small mass to said main quantity, and

passing tiles with their lower:'sur faces:, only in shallow'contactwith said-mass. I;

-Witnesses'; a -HARRY-WALBU RG,

' ALBERT DELL;

' mmnrmox rarer cotps nrnl h 

